That is what I said to the 4th delegate who arrived on my PR Clinic table yesterday at the Entrepreneurs Circle “Implementor” event.
This is a 2-day event focused on getting sh*t done vs learning more stuff, so people are there to nail things, get them off their desk or out of their brain and into action.
There was over 400 small business owners in the room yesterday and PR being the dark art that is it perceived to be is always one of those “I’ve been meaning to look at it” tables.
So why did I say what I said above?
One word… Wowcher.
I will not bore you with the details or give them any more air-time, after what is one of the biggest misreads of a room in decades but suffice to say that they have “done a Ratner”.
If you don’t know that story, it’s a corker. Give it a google. or ask Chat!
So this chap and I were merrily discussing what PR is and isn’t and he casually said;
“Well, you know what they say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity”.
BS!
Wowcher are now in a world of trouble due to bad publicity.
“But Greg, everyone knows them now, they’ve been a bit quiet.”
“Yes, but everyone thinks they are absolute morons. I can make you famous in the next 5 minutes with a few phone calls and a well-judged photo on top of this building with 400-odd delegates looking up at you but you won’t be famous, you will be infamous.
“You will LOSE credibility and confuse people who thought they knew you, liked you, trusted you.”
Maybe the old cliche needs a rethink or just a clarification of what Publicity is vs PR.
In a nutshell, PR, as opposed to mere Publicity, gets you known for what you WANT to be known for by the people you want to be known by.
Bad Publicity can make people very aware of how much they do NOT like you or how much of a buffoon you look – see Ratner, G and the demise of a business empire after a casual comment (it’s cr*p) went “viral”.
So the next time someone tells you that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, consider what bad publicity might be for you and actively avoid it.
Happy Headlines,
GS